Boost Your Happiness by Getting in Touch With This One Word: "No"

How often do you say no? I'll be honest, I sometimes have trouble in the no department--but I've gotten better recently. Mastering the art of "no," say happiness experts, can give you a huge boost of happiness and contentment. Here's how ...

Stephanie, a Vitamin G reader in Toronto, Canada, wrote me to share an article that appeared in Chatelaine that really moved her. The piece, on happiness--and how to be happier--was filled with terrific tips for boosting happiness in your life. Here's my favorite:

Want to be happier? Then tap into the power of "no"

Chatelaine reports: "We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze more and more activities into less and less time," says Harvard's Tal Ben-Shahar. "Consequently, we fail to savor potential sources of happiness that may be all around us." To remedy the situation, he suggests turning down some opportunities, even when they may seem enticing. "We often say yes' to others, thereby saying no' to ourselves," says Ben-Shahar. "We need to simplify our lives, and one of the ways to do it is to be less consumed by technology," he says. "It's okay not to check emails for a couple hours at a time; it's okay not to have our phones on 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

More good advice: "He also recommends settling for 'good enough' rather than 'perfect.' When you revise your expectations of yourself, you may find a 'good-enough' approach provides relief, and that you will feel more energetic and focused."

I love this thinking. For me, my saying-no moment involved email. There was a time (recently) when I tried to respond to every single non-spam email I received (and I get a lot of email--especially from marketers and publicists). When I realized that responding (even with quick one-liners) was eating into my personal time with my family, I stopped doing it. I just said no.

What do you need to say no to in your life to increase your happiness, or what have you said no to recently that felt really good?